


China Shop

by misura



Category: A Place of Greater Safety - Hilary Mantel
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-25 13:39:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16662015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Danton at the Desmoulins'.





	China Shop

**Author's Note:**

  * For [feverbeats](https://archiveofourown.org/users/feverbeats/gifts).



_Leave Camille to me,_ Danton recalled saying. _I will shut him up._

He had felt confident, then; he felt confident now. Camille would give him no trouble over the matter of Lucile, his wife, Danton's - well, what term would be appropriate? 'Lover' implied a certain constancy, an on-going arrangement, and feelings Danton had no intention to aspire to.

Love was for the romantics, like Camille.

Danton wondered if Camille had convinced himself that he loved Danton, that that was why he seemed able to do what he was doing so effortlessly. (What a silly notion, he told himself almost immediately. A man doesn't get good at sucking another man's cock by _love_. It's a matter of practice, more likely, and rather a lot of it, judging by the skill displayed.)

Lucile was watching them - a little disappointed, Danton liked to flatter himself. A bit impatient.

He'd had her earlier, naturally; Camille's mouth was not so attractive as that, to put off what he had really wanted. But then it had been done, and he had felt contented, satisfied, thinking to himself, some other day, again, perhaps, and Camille had made the suggestion, and Danton had thought, why not? It had seemed a little enough thing, a small favor in exchange for what he had received.

Naked bribery, sure, but agreeable enough for all of that. Even so, he could not imagine what Camille might be getting out of it. Danton knew he would never lower himself to this kind of use; it was a matter of pride as much as inclination. Danton did not lust after other men, therefore, he saw no point in putting his mouth anywhere near their cocks, nor vice versa.

Yet here was Camille, displaying an amount of enthusiasm that made Danton doubt himself.

Of course, you had to make allowances for Camille being Camille. Danton might favor the Revolution; at heart, when it came to matters like these, he was a conservative.

It would have been a fine thing, he mused, to have been in possession of two cocks. Have Camille suck one of them, leaving the other one free for Danton's own use. He might have truly ruined Lucile for good, then, ensuring that she would remember him with fondness and, perhaps, a little wistfulness.

One of her hands had found its way under her dress, he saw, with something close to annoyance. It seemed a waste that she would be forced to such measures with Danton still in the room, perfectly capable of providing what she needed, if only Camille would let go.

He supposed he could force the issue. It might be rude, and get Camille's feathers all ruffled, but then, Camille's feathers were smoothed easily enough. For ten, fifteen seconds, weighing the arguments, Danton was tempted. Then Camille settled the issue, increasing his efforts, or possibly he'd been holding back until now, testing how much Danton would put up with: Danton felt himself come undone for the second time in less than an hour.

He told himself the first time, with Lucile, had been more enjoyable. Who knew, it might even be true.

" _Finally,_ " Lucile said, gesturing imperiously.

Camille laughed, light and happy, rising and smoothly sinking down on his knees again in front of her, and Danton thought, how can I resent a man like that?

The better question, he decided after a moment, would be to ask how anyone could be so _casual_ about the whole thing, so perfectly willing to please, and the answer to that was as plain as the scar on his face. _Only Camille._

Lucile caught his gaze and held it until her eyes fluttered shut.

She had looked more honestly pleased when under him, Danton decided; she might be faking things now, or at least exaggerating her pleasure, for Camille's sake. Such a strange couple of people, the two of them. Well-matched, to be sure; one could not see them together and think otherwise. Even so.

Their marriage bed must surely be all the better for having him in it, however temporarily.


End file.
